Philippines: General Santos City clamps down on smoking

(File) A K-9 team from Task Force Gensan was among those who joined the caravan in the launching a new ordinance that put more teeth on city-wide smoking ban in General Santos City in 2015. Source: Edwin Espejo

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General Santos City officials are not worried being accused of being copycats of neighboring Davao City.

“It is for the good of our constituents,” Mayor Ronnel Rivera said during the launching of a new city ordinance that put more teeth on a 23-year old city law that bans smoking in public places.

The new city ordinance now bans smoking in enclosed public buildings or those that are privately owned but used, rented or occupied by government offices and agencies or any of its instrumentalities and in any workplaces, whether public or privately-owned.

It repealed the City Crdinance No. 9 series of 1992) or the 1992 Anti-Smoking Ordinance passed by the City Council.

The new smoking ban also is in effect in public outdoor spaces where a crowd of people gather or congregate regardless of ownership.